The UEFA Champions League knockout stage has produced some of the most anticipated matches of 2024 as Europe’s best teams aim for the final in London.
The home-and-away round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals culminated in the finalists – Real Madrid and Dortmund – booking a place to compete for the trophy in a one-off showpiece at Wembley Stadium.
By the time they play the showpiece, Real and Dortmund will have played at least two matches per month in the competition between February and early May, having qualified in a group stage which took place between September and December.
So, when does the knockout stage end? When did the matches take place and how were they decided? The Sporting News offers a summary of the dates.
MORE: All Harry Kane’s goals for Bayern Munich so far
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 start date
After a two-month break from mid-December, the 2023/24 Champions League resumes with the round of 16 in February 2024.
The quarterfinals concluded on April 17, and the semifinals took place in late April and early May.
Away goals do not count in the Champions League after the rule was abandoned ahead of the 2021/22 season, so ties at the end of normal time in the second leg result in extra time and, if necessary, a penalties.
Champions League round of 16 schedule
The quarter-finals took place in April, with the semi-finals starting on the last day of the month and ending in May.
The final will take place on June 1, 13 days before the first Euro 2024 match in Germany. Here is the full program for the round of 16.
| Steps | Appointment |
| Round of 16 | February 13/14, 20/21 (outward journeys); 5/6, 12/13 March (return match) |
| Quarter-finals | April 9/10 (first legs); 16/17 (return match) |
| Semi-finals | April/May 30 (first legs); May 7/8 (return match) |
| Finals | June 1 |
UEFA Champions League semi-finals
| Semi-final schedule, results | First leg | Second leg |
| real Madrid 4-3 Bayern Munich | Bayern 2-2 Madrid | Real Madrid 2-1 Bayern |
| Borussia Dortmund 2-0 PSG | Dortmund 1-0 PSG | PSG 0-1 Dortmund |
UEFA Champions League quarter-finals
| Quarter-final schedule, results | First leg | Second leg |
| Arsenal 2-3 Bayern Munich | Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich | Bayern Munich 1-0 Arsenal |
| real Madrid 4-4 Manchester City (Real Madrid qualified on penalties) |
Real Madrid 3-3 Man City | Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (3-4 on pens) |
| Atlético Madrid 4-5 Borussia Dortmund | Atlético Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund | Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Atlético Madrid |
| PSG 6-4 Barcelona | PSG 2-3 Barcelona | Barcelona 1-4 PSG |
Full UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw
Here is the full draw.
| Round of 16 | First leg | Second leg |
| Port 1-1Arsenal | Port 1-0 Arsenal | Arsenal 1-0 Porto (4-2 pens) |
| Napoli 2-4 Barcelona | Naples 1-1 Barcelona | Barcelona 3-1 Naples |
| Paris Saint Germain 4-1 Real Sociedad | PSG 2-0 Real | Real 1-2 PSG |
| Inter 2-2 Atletico Madrid | Inter 1-0 Atlético | Atlético 2-1 Inter (3-2 pens) |
| PSV1-3 Borussia Dortmund | PSV 1-1 Dortmund | Dortmund 2-0 PSV |
| Lazio 1-3 Bayern Munich | Lazio 1-0 Bavaria | Bavaria 3-0 Lazio |
| Copenhagen 2-6 Manchester City | Copenhagen 1-3 Manchester City | Manchester City 3-1 Copenhagen |
| RB Leipzig 1-2 real Madrid | Leipzig 0-1 real Madrid | real Madrid 1-1 Leipzig |
MORE: Jude Bellingham’s goals and stats so far for Real Madrid
Teams in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage
The table below shows the teams qualified for the round of 16 of the 2023/24 Champions League.
| Team | Progress date | Band |
| Manchester City (ENG) | Nov. 7 | Group G |
| RB Leipzig (GERMANY) | Nov. 7 | Group G |
| Bayern Munich (GERMANY) | Nov. 8 | group A |
| real Madrid (SPA) | Nov. 8 | Group C |
| Real Sociedad (SPA) | Nov. 8 | Group D |
| Inter Milan (ITA) | Nov. 8 | Group D |
| Atletico Madrid (SPA) | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| Lazio (ITA) | Nov. 28 | Group E |
| Borussia Dortmund (GERMANY) | Nov. 28 | Group F |
| Barcelona (SPA) | Nov. 28 | Group H |
| Arsenal (ENG) | Nov. 29 | Group B |
| PSV (NED) | Nov. 29 | Group B |
| FC Copenhagen (LAIR) | Dec. 12 | group A |
| Naples (ITA) | Dec. 12 | Group C |
| PSG (ENG) | Dec. 13 | Group F |
| Port (POR) | Dec. 13 | Group H |
This is what the final group tables looked like:
Q = Qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League
X = Advance to the knockout stages of the Europa League
E = Eliminated from European play
Group A table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
| Bayern Munich (Q) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 16 |
| Copenhagen (Q) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Galatasaray | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -3 | 5 |
| Manchester United | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 4 |
Group B table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
| Arsenal (Q) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | +12 | 13 |
| PSV (Q) | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -2 | 9 |
| Lens | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 8 |
| Seville | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -5 | 2 |
Group C table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
| Real Madrid (Q) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 18 |
| Napoli (Q) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ten |
| Braga | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 |
| Union Berlin | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | -4 | 2 |
Group D table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Real Sociedad (Q) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +5 | 12 |
| 2. Inter Milan (Q) | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 12 |
| 3. Benfica | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 4 |
| 4. RB Salzburg | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -4 | 4 |
Group E table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Atlético (Q) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | +11 | 14 |
| 2. Lazio (Q) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ten |
| 3. Feyenoord | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| 4. Celts | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -ten | 4 |
Group F table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Drill. Dortmund (Q) | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +3 | 11 |
| 2. PSG (Q) | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 8 |
| 3. AC Milan | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 8 |
| 4. Newcastle | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 5 |
Group G table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Man City (Q) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | +11 | 18 |
| 2. RB Leipzig (Q) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | +3 | 12 |
| 3. Young boys | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -6 | 4 |
| 4. Red Star Belgrade | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -8 | 1 |
Group H table
| Team | General practitioner | W | D | L | DG | P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barcelona (Q) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | +6 | 12 |
| 2. Porto (Q) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +7 | 12 |
| 3. Shakhtar Donetsk | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 9 |
| 4. Antwerp | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -11 | 3 |
Champions League round of 16 schedule: Wembley waits again
The 2023/2024 season marks the record eighth time the final will be held at Wembley Stadium and the third time it will be held at the modern version of England’s national stadium.
The finals of the Champions League, the predecessor of the European Cup, were held at Wembley in 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978 and 1992.
Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 final, Lionel Messi put them 2-1 ahead after Wayne Rooney canceled out Pedro’s opener.
When the final returned there two years later, Arjen Robben scored the winning goal in the 89th minute in an all-German decider to give Bayern Munich win against Borussia Dortmund.
“Social media fanatic. Problem solver. Bacon ninja. Communicator. Alcohol evangelist.”
